Althouse and Instapundit noticed something.
...the sequester is where the rubber meets the road. Obama is betting Americans will be outraged by the abrupt and substantial cuts to a wide range of government services,
from law enforcement to food safety to public schools. And he is hoping
they will rise up to demand what he calls a “balanced approach” to
deficit reduction that replaces some cuts with higher taxes.
But
if voters react with a shrug, congressional Republicans will have won a
major victory in their campaign to shrink the size of government.
Instead of cancelling the sequester, the GOP will likely push for more.
“It
would be a big problem for the White House if the sequester came and
went and nobody really noticed anything. Then people will start saying,
‘Well, maybe we can cut spending,” said John H. Makin...
And as Althouse and Reynolds say, there's no doubt that Obozo will do his damndest to impose a lot of pain on Americans.
This is exactly what school boards are best at; when faced with taxpayer resistance to higher confiscations, they threaten to cancel the football/basketball/forensics/music/arts (pick one or any combination) programs.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Democrat Party Successes
Several Democrat Party success stories are mentioned in this essay.
A sample:
The Trail of Tears (1838)
The American Protective League and The Palmer Raids (1919-1921)
The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment (1932-1972)
Japanese Internment Camps (1942)
The irony is that the Democrat Party wraps itself in a mantle of "Holier Than Thou", accusing the Pubbies of all sorts of racism, sexism, homophobia, and xenophobia.
It's what the shrinks call "projection."
HT: Zippers
A sample:
The Trail of Tears (1838)
The American Protective League and The Palmer Raids (1919-1921)
The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment (1932-1972)
Japanese Internment Camps (1942)
The irony is that the Democrat Party wraps itself in a mantle of "Holier Than Thou", accusing the Pubbies of all sorts of racism, sexism, homophobia, and xenophobia.
It's what the shrinks call "projection."
HT: Zippers
NYSlimes Defeats 7th Commandment
Nice story (/sarcasm) about the "Crusader for Justice" Slimes.
"''They never even came to ask if I wanted to sell,'' said Joseph Orbach, who has owned the 16-story building at 265 West 40th Street with his brothers, Markus and Sidney, since 1978. ''They're just taking it.'' There are some 30 tenants, including architects and engineers.
At a condemnation hearing on Sept. 24 and in later interviews, owners expressed anger that a large corporate neighbor, The Times, was getting the benefit of a fully assembled 80,000-square-foot development parcel at a price of $84.94 million, in addition to city incentives that may reach $29 million." --quoted at Arms/Law
Umnnnhh, yes, well, hypocrisy is the social disease of the liberals. And it's out of control.
"''They never even came to ask if I wanted to sell,'' said Joseph Orbach, who has owned the 16-story building at 265 West 40th Street with his brothers, Markus and Sidney, since 1978. ''They're just taking it.'' There are some 30 tenants, including architects and engineers.
At a condemnation hearing on Sept. 24 and in later interviews, owners expressed anger that a large corporate neighbor, The Times, was getting the benefit of a fully assembled 80,000-square-foot development parcel at a price of $84.94 million, in addition to city incentives that may reach $29 million." --quoted at Arms/Law
Umnnnhh, yes, well, hypocrisy is the social disease of the liberals. And it's out of control.
Graphite Battery Better. Better Battery Graphite
......or whatever.
The result was a shockingly thin supercapacitor which could store up a large amount of electrical energy in no time flat. The potential for this sort of discovery should be obvious. Unlike heavy metal batteries, the carbon compound is biodegradable and cheap to manufacture. And a battery made of layers of this material could charge your cell phone for a full day’s use in – wait for it – two seconds. A ramped up version could charge an electric car in a minute or two.
Hmmmmmm.
The result was a shockingly thin supercapacitor which could store up a large amount of electrical energy in no time flat. The potential for this sort of discovery should be obvious. Unlike heavy metal batteries, the carbon compound is biodegradable and cheap to manufacture. And a battery made of layers of this material could charge your cell phone for a full day’s use in – wait for it – two seconds. A ramped up version could charge an electric car in a minute or two.
Hmmmmmm.
The Mandarins
McArdle wrote an interesting piece.
...many of the mandarins have never worked for a business at all, except for a think tank, the government, a media organization, or a school—places that more or less deliberately shield their content producers from the money side of things. There is nothing wrong with any of these places, but culturally and operationally they're very different from pretty much any other sort of institution. I don't myself claim to understand how most businesses work, but having switched from business to media, I'm aware of how different they can be.
In fact, I think that to some extent, the current political wars are a culture war not between social liberals and social conservatives, but between the values of the mandarin system and the values of those who compete in the very different culture of ordinary businesses--ones outside glamour industries like tech or design.
...The road to a job as a public intellectual now increasingly runs through a few elite schools, often followed by a series of very-low-paid internships that have to be subsidized by well-heeled parents, or at least a free bedroom in a major city. The fact that I have a somewhat meandering work and school history, and didn't become a journalist until I was 30, gives me some insight (she said, modestly) that is hard to get if you’re on a laser-focused track that shoots you out of third grade and straight toward a career where you write and think for a living. Almost none of the kids I meet in Washington these days even had boring menial high-school jobs working in a drugstore or waiting tables; they were doing “enriching” internships or academic programs. And thus the separation of the mandarin class grows ever more complete.
I’m hinting at the final problem, which is that this ostensibly meritocratic system increasingly selects from those with enough wealth and connections to first, understand the system, and second, prepare the right credentials to enter it—as I believe it also did in Imperial China.
You'll have to read the essay to know who 'the mandarins' are now.
It is a puzzlement. There's no question that meritocracy has its raison d'etre. The question is 'what is merit?'
HT: AOSHQ
...many of the mandarins have never worked for a business at all, except for a think tank, the government, a media organization, or a school—places that more or less deliberately shield their content producers from the money side of things. There is nothing wrong with any of these places, but culturally and operationally they're very different from pretty much any other sort of institution. I don't myself claim to understand how most businesses work, but having switched from business to media, I'm aware of how different they can be.
In fact, I think that to some extent, the current political wars are a culture war not between social liberals and social conservatives, but between the values of the mandarin system and the values of those who compete in the very different culture of ordinary businesses--ones outside glamour industries like tech or design.
...The road to a job as a public intellectual now increasingly runs through a few elite schools, often followed by a series of very-low-paid internships that have to be subsidized by well-heeled parents, or at least a free bedroom in a major city. The fact that I have a somewhat meandering work and school history, and didn't become a journalist until I was 30, gives me some insight (she said, modestly) that is hard to get if you’re on a laser-focused track that shoots you out of third grade and straight toward a career where you write and think for a living. Almost none of the kids I meet in Washington these days even had boring menial high-school jobs working in a drugstore or waiting tables; they were doing “enriching” internships or academic programs. And thus the separation of the mandarin class grows ever more complete.
I’m hinting at the final problem, which is that this ostensibly meritocratic system increasingly selects from those with enough wealth and connections to first, understand the system, and second, prepare the right credentials to enter it—as I believe it also did in Imperial China.
You'll have to read the essay to know who 'the mandarins' are now.
It is a puzzlement. There's no question that meritocracy has its raison d'etre. The question is 'what is merit?'
HT: AOSHQ
Friday, February 22, 2013
Nancy-Boy and His Lying Sack, Panetta
The difference, Hildebeeste, is dead Americans.
Here, the author examines Nancy-Boy Obozo's utter indifference to American lives and Lyin' Leon Panetta's blatant...ahhh....lies.
Secretary Panetta went on to say that U.S. Navy FAST teams (Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security) were in Spain, but these were too far away to arrive in time to assist the embattled Americans...[but a]... Boeing 747 flight from the U.S. Naval Base at Rota, Spain, would have taken only about three hours at an average cruising speed of 570 mph.
That's not all.
...What was never mentioned or even questioned was why the Marine Force Recon unit supposedly stationed at Segonella was never considered a potential relief force as it was far closer than Rota to Benghazi....
...In any case, FAST units (of which at least one was at Rota) are each specifically forward-deployed guard platoons of 115 Marines and one officer capable of immediate operational response to any alert notice...
The idea [put forth as Gospel by Lyin' Leon] that critical intelligence must be gathered, analyzed, and evaluated before a SO force proceeds on a critical retrieval mission may be academically correct, but not strictly followed in real life critical combat rescue. U.S. special forces of every kind go into harm’s way when and where they are needed with little regard for themselves. It’s the mission that counts, and the mission clearly was to rescue the guys in Benghazi. For some reason this fact escaped Washington’s high military command.
The reason? Nancy-Boys, all of them. Not one of them have stones--so they assume that no one else does, either.
...What this all points to is that a Rota-based FAST platoon of appropriately trained and equipped Marines could have flown to Benghazi by any Boeing 747, and other heavier units could have followed later. It wasn’t even tried. That DoD having real-time notice of the attack on two official American installations could not or would not respond in a timely manner is a disgrace that reaches the level of dereliction of duty. Any enlisted man or junior officer having avoided similar action would have been brought up on charges before a court martial....
Have we ever mentioned "the Ruling Class" before?
Here, the author examines Nancy-Boy Obozo's utter indifference to American lives and Lyin' Leon Panetta's blatant...ahhh....lies.
Secretary Panetta went on to say that U.S. Navy FAST teams (Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security) were in Spain, but these were too far away to arrive in time to assist the embattled Americans...[but a]... Boeing 747 flight from the U.S. Naval Base at Rota, Spain, would have taken only about three hours at an average cruising speed of 570 mph.
That's not all.
...What was never mentioned or even questioned was why the Marine Force Recon unit supposedly stationed at Segonella was never considered a potential relief force as it was far closer than Rota to Benghazi....
...In any case, FAST units (of which at least one was at Rota) are each specifically forward-deployed guard platoons of 115 Marines and one officer capable of immediate operational response to any alert notice...
The idea [put forth as Gospel by Lyin' Leon] that critical intelligence must be gathered, analyzed, and evaluated before a SO force proceeds on a critical retrieval mission may be academically correct, but not strictly followed in real life critical combat rescue. U.S. special forces of every kind go into harm’s way when and where they are needed with little regard for themselves. It’s the mission that counts, and the mission clearly was to rescue the guys in Benghazi. For some reason this fact escaped Washington’s high military command.
The reason? Nancy-Boys, all of them. Not one of them have stones--so they assume that no one else does, either.
...What this all points to is that a Rota-based FAST platoon of appropriately trained and equipped Marines could have flown to Benghazi by any Boeing 747, and other heavier units could have followed later. It wasn’t even tried. That DoD having real-time notice of the attack on two official American installations could not or would not respond in a timely manner is a disgrace that reaches the level of dereliction of duty. Any enlisted man or junior officer having avoided similar action would have been brought up on charges before a court martial....
Have we ever mentioned "the Ruling Class" before?
Crony Capitalism: Epic Systems
This comes as no surprise whatsoever.
Officials at Epic Systems are not commenting on a New York Times report Wednesday that the firm was central in lobbying Congress on a $19 billion “giveaway” to convert all U.S. medical records from paper to computers.
The story contends that executives of the largest digital records companies — including Epic, Cerner and Allscripts — poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into a behind-the-scenes effort to promote the use of electronic records, effectively pushing aside smaller competitors.
Those efforts paid off handsomely in 2009, when legislation promoting the use of electronic medical records was included in President Obama’s economic stimulus bill. The $780 billion package included nearly $20 billion in incentives aimed specifically at software made by Epic and others.
The stimulus package also included penalties for doctors who don't adopt the new technology. Providers who don't install electronic records by 2014 will face reductions in their Medicare reimbursements...
Anyone who didn't see that coming was willfully ignorant. Epic's systems are odd creatures, using a "proprietary" coding language, thus immune to enhancements unless Epic provides them--at a cost, of course.
And, of course, some of the profits are recycled back into the coffers of (D) candidates, such as was the case with Diamond Jim Doyle--and Obozo.
Officials at Epic Systems are not commenting on a New York Times report Wednesday that the firm was central in lobbying Congress on a $19 billion “giveaway” to convert all U.S. medical records from paper to computers.
The story contends that executives of the largest digital records companies — including Epic, Cerner and Allscripts — poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into a behind-the-scenes effort to promote the use of electronic records, effectively pushing aside smaller competitors.
Those efforts paid off handsomely in 2009, when legislation promoting the use of electronic medical records was included in President Obama’s economic stimulus bill. The $780 billion package included nearly $20 billion in incentives aimed specifically at software made by Epic and others.
The stimulus package also included penalties for doctors who don't adopt the new technology. Providers who don't install electronic records by 2014 will face reductions in their Medicare reimbursements...
Anyone who didn't see that coming was willfully ignorant. Epic's systems are odd creatures, using a "proprietary" coding language, thus immune to enhancements unless Epic provides them--at a cost, of course.
And, of course, some of the profits are recycled back into the coffers of (D) candidates, such as was the case with Diamond Jim Doyle--and Obozo.
ObozoCare: No Spouse for YOU!!!
Another effect of the Box of Chocolates: if you're married, he/she will be dropped by your employer.
By denying coverage to spouses, employers not only save the annual
premiums, but also the new fees that went into effect as part of the
Affordable Care Act. This year, companies have to pay $1 or $2 “per
life” covered on its plans, a sum that jumps to $65 in 2014. And health
law guidelines proposed recently mandate coverage of employees’
dependent children (up to age 26), but husbands and wives are optional. “
...These “spousal carve-outs,” or “working spouse provisions,” generally prohibit only people who could get coverage through their own job from enrolling in their spouse’s plan. Such exclusions barely existed three years ago, but experts expect an increasing number of employers to adopt them: “That’s the next step,” Darling says. HMS, a company that audits plans for employers, estimates that nearly a third of companies might have such policies now. Holdouts say they feel under pressure to follow suit.
And--when ObozoCare goes live next year?
...experts say more firms are likely to drop spouses altogether, whether they work or not—especially when the new federal health-care exchanges open in 2014, providing an alternative for spouses left out in the cold. “When there’s a place for people to go, employers won’t feel as beholden or compelled to cover the spouse,” says Joan Smyth, an employee benefits consultant with Mercer.
Too bad, sucka!
Companies have a new solution to rising health-insurance costs: Break up their employees’ marriages.
...These “spousal carve-outs,” or “working spouse provisions,” generally prohibit only people who could get coverage through their own job from enrolling in their spouse’s plan. Such exclusions barely existed three years ago, but experts expect an increasing number of employers to adopt them: “That’s the next step,” Darling says. HMS, a company that audits plans for employers, estimates that nearly a third of companies might have such policies now. Holdouts say they feel under pressure to follow suit.
And--when ObozoCare goes live next year?
...experts say more firms are likely to drop spouses altogether, whether they work or not—especially when the new federal health-care exchanges open in 2014, providing an alternative for spouses left out in the cold. “When there’s a place for people to go, employers won’t feel as beholden or compelled to cover the spouse,” says Joan Smyth, an employee benefits consultant with Mercer.
Too bad, sucka!
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Stupid Beyond Parody: Another Democrat
This guy makes Akin look like a Ph.D.
Chill, women, says Colorado Democrat Rep. Joe Salazar. While arguing for the disarmament of college students, Salazar says that even if women feel like they’re going to be raped, they may not, so who needs a firearm for protection? From Revealing Politics:
“It’s why we have call boxes, it’s why we have safe zones, it’s why we have the whistles. Because you just don’t know who you’re gonna be shooting at. And you don’t know if you feel like you’re gonna be raped, or if you feel like someone’s been following you around or if you feel like you’re in trouble when you may actually not be, that you pop out that gun and you pop … pop around at somebody.”--quoted at FoxNation
Whether to laugh or to cry. THAT is the question.
Chill, women, says Colorado Democrat Rep. Joe Salazar. While arguing for the disarmament of college students, Salazar says that even if women feel like they’re going to be raped, they may not, so who needs a firearm for protection? From Revealing Politics:
“It’s why we have call boxes, it’s why we have safe zones, it’s why we have the whistles. Because you just don’t know who you’re gonna be shooting at. And you don’t know if you feel like you’re gonna be raped, or if you feel like someone’s been following you around or if you feel like you’re in trouble when you may actually not be, that you pop out that gun and you pop … pop around at somebody.”--quoted at FoxNation
Whether to laugh or to cry. THAT is the question.
Sequestration, the New Death Star
The LameStream Media has erased the fact that Obozo proposed AND signed the sequester.
They also have a problem putting it into a frame of reference like this one:
[The cuts are] only equal to 10-15 percent of the annual deficit, and a mere 3 percent of overall government spending[...]
Yah, but it's really a Meteor! Women and Chilluns will be killed. Annihilated. Fried. Or something.
They also have a problem putting it into a frame of reference like this one:
[The cuts are] only equal to 10-15 percent of the annual deficit, and a mere 3 percent of overall government spending[...]
Yah, but it's really a Meteor! Women and Chilluns will be killed. Annihilated. Fried. Or something.
Cruz Gets the RoJo Treatment
You remember that Senator Ron Johnson was bashed by "anonymous Senate sources" a few months after his election, right?
Well, now it's Ted Cruz's turn. And the language--reported by the WaPo, Politico, and the NYSlimes, is very familiar, indeed.
....So now the McConnell leadership team must do what it did to Jim DeMint. The “grown ups” are whispering about how Ted just won’t conform himself to the ways of the Senate and behave like a “statement.” Their friends in the op-ed pages and reporters who covet leadership access are all using Republicans who sound like Lindsey Graham and Lamar Alexander to attack Ted Cruz....
To hell with principles if they stand in the way of McConnell!!
Well, now it's Ted Cruz's turn. And the language--reported by the WaPo, Politico, and the NYSlimes, is very familiar, indeed.
....So now the McConnell leadership team must do what it did to Jim DeMint. The “grown ups” are whispering about how Ted just won’t conform himself to the ways of the Senate and behave like a “statement.” Their friends in the op-ed pages and reporters who covet leadership access are all using Republicans who sound like Lindsey Graham and Lamar Alexander to attack Ted Cruz....
To hell with principles if they stand in the way of McConnell!!
Sunday, February 17, 2013
"Measuring Income" Lies From the NYSlimes
Buried deep, where only JustOneMinute found it:
Research led by the Cornell economist Richard V. Burkhauser, for instance, sought to measure the economic health of middle-class households including income, taxes, transfer programs and benefits like health insurance. It found that from 1979 to 2007, median income grew by about 18.2 percent over all rather than by 3.2 percent counting income alone.
Of course, that's not headline-worthy.
Research led by the Cornell economist Richard V. Burkhauser, for instance, sought to measure the economic health of middle-class households including income, taxes, transfer programs and benefits like health insurance. It found that from 1979 to 2007, median income grew by about 18.2 percent over all rather than by 3.2 percent counting income alone.
Of course, that's not headline-worthy.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Your Gummint's Ammo-Buys
You've all read the numbers before...
....just since last spring DHS has stockpiled more than 1.6 billion bullets, mainly .40 caliber and 9mm. That’s sufficient firepower to shoot every American about five times. Including illegal immigrants.
To provide some perspective, experts estimate that at the peak of the Iraq war American troops were firing around 5.5 million rounds per month. At that rate, DHS is armed now for a 24-year Iraq war.
Some are asking "why"?
Well, the conspiracy-types tell us that it's "preparation for the collapse of society," a not-terribly unlikely event given the ambitions of the current Statist-in-Chief.
But I prefer the Occam's Razor theory: Gummint ammo purchases, by contract, get first priority. So they're simply buying the stuff to keep YOU from buying it.
You can't shoot what you don't have, folks.
....just since last spring DHS has stockpiled more than 1.6 billion bullets, mainly .40 caliber and 9mm. That’s sufficient firepower to shoot every American about five times. Including illegal immigrants.
To provide some perspective, experts estimate that at the peak of the Iraq war American troops were firing around 5.5 million rounds per month. At that rate, DHS is armed now for a 24-year Iraq war.
Some are asking "why"?
Well, the conspiracy-types tell us that it's "preparation for the collapse of society," a not-terribly unlikely event given the ambitions of the current Statist-in-Chief.
But I prefer the Occam's Razor theory: Gummint ammo purchases, by contract, get first priority. So they're simply buying the stuff to keep YOU from buying it.
You can't shoot what you don't have, folks.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Seventh Circuit: ObozoCare STILL Un-Constitutional
Seventh Circuit joins Eighth Circuit in finding that the mandate, applied to private companies with deeply-held Chistian beliefs, is a clear violation of Free Exercise clause.
Private Gun Sales, Registration, Database
Arms/Law has some thoughts on the question.
...A ban on private sales will be unenforceable in the near future, since guns being found will have been initially sold before its effective date, and thus a lawful private transfer before the ban went into effect cannot be ruled out.
But even after, say, ten years pass, the ban will still be unenforceable in practice unless Congress also either:
1) Enacts national firearm registration, requiring FFLs to report all sales so they can be placed in a national database, and requires such reporting backdated to the effective date of the private sales ban, or
2) Makes firearm possession illegal, period, providing for a defense if the gun owner can prove they bought the gun before before the effective date of the ban, or bought it from an FFL after the ban.
At this point in time, neither of the above is being discussed.
However. All it would take would be another highly-publicized event like Newtown for either of the above to be enacted "for the chilllrrrrunn."
...A ban on private sales will be unenforceable in the near future, since guns being found will have been initially sold before its effective date, and thus a lawful private transfer before the ban went into effect cannot be ruled out.
But even after, say, ten years pass, the ban will still be unenforceable in practice unless Congress also either:
1) Enacts national firearm registration, requiring FFLs to report all sales so they can be placed in a national database, and requires such reporting backdated to the effective date of the private sales ban, or
2) Makes firearm possession illegal, period, providing for a defense if the gun owner can prove they bought the gun before before the effective date of the ban, or bought it from an FFL after the ban.
At this point in time, neither of the above is being discussed.
However. All it would take would be another highly-publicized event like Newtown for either of the above to be enacted "for the chilllrrrrunn."
Good Luck With That, Kids
A few kids are loose in the sandbox.
Sen. Nikiya Harris (D), Rep. Mandela Barnes, (D), Rep. Evan Goyke (D), and Rep. Fred Kessler (D) have circulated draft legislation that would ban civilian possession of hollow point or frangible ammunition.
I know that Red Fred is not a 'kid.' But he's obviously in a second-childhood frame of mind (so to speak.)
Sen. Nikiya Harris (D), Rep. Mandela Barnes, (D), Rep. Evan Goyke (D), and Rep. Fred Kessler (D) have circulated draft legislation that would ban civilian possession of hollow point or frangible ammunition.
I know that Red Fred is not a 'kid.' But he's obviously in a second-childhood frame of mind (so to speak.)
Marx-Influenced President Shows His Card
Yes, that's a reference....
Long post here, but let's cut to the chase.
In April 2011, the SCOAMF wanted $3.00 in spending cuts for every $1.00 in tax revenue increases.
NOW he wants $2.00 in spending cuts for every $1.00 in tax revenue increases.
He calls that a "compromise."
His next "compromise" will be that he confiscates ONLY the long-guns.
HT: AOSHQ
Long post here, but let's cut to the chase.
In April 2011, the SCOAMF wanted $3.00 in spending cuts for every $1.00 in tax revenue increases.
NOW he wants $2.00 in spending cuts for every $1.00 in tax revenue increases.
He calls that a "compromise."
His next "compromise" will be that he confiscates ONLY the long-guns.
HT: AOSHQ
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Shall We Talk About "Big Gummint" Even More?
Thought the below post wasn't enough? Good. This time, it's all SWAT. We have more!!
...When financial questions arose regarding the Mountain Pure Water Company, Washington did not send a few staffers to inspect documents. Instead, last spring, some 50 armed Treasury agents breached Mountain Pure’s headquarters in Little Rock...
...A U.S. Department of Education SWAT force[!!??!!???!!!] burst into Kenneth Wright’s Stockton, Calif., home in June 2011. “I look out of my window, and I see 15 police officers,” Wright told KXTV. Wright said one officer forced him by the neck onto the front lawn. “He had his knee on my back, and I had no idea why they were there.” While officers searched his house, Wright said, “They put me in handcuffs in a hot patrol car for six hours, traumatizing my kids,” then ages 3, 7, and 11. The feds sought Wright’s estranged wife, apparently for suspected financial-aid fraud. However, she had moved away a year earlier.
Some paper-pushing fraud draws 15 SWAT? Be serious.
...“SWAT teams have been used to break up neighborhood poker games, sent into bars and fraternities suspected of allowing underage drinking, and even [used] to enforce alcohol and occupational licensing regulations,” including armed incursions against several black barber shops in Orlando, Fla., according to the Huffington Post’s Radley Balko, who studiously chronicles this topic. He recalls a federal SWAT outfit that invaded an Atlanta DJ’s studio on suspicion of copyright infringement....
SWAT has become the Corvette of the LEO Nancies. (You know, the 'vette makes your d*&k look real big...)
...When financial questions arose regarding the Mountain Pure Water Company, Washington did not send a few staffers to inspect documents. Instead, last spring, some 50 armed Treasury agents breached Mountain Pure’s headquarters in Little Rock...
...A U.S. Department of Education SWAT force[!!??!!???!!!] burst into Kenneth Wright’s Stockton, Calif., home in June 2011. “I look out of my window, and I see 15 police officers,” Wright told KXTV. Wright said one officer forced him by the neck onto the front lawn. “He had his knee on my back, and I had no idea why they were there.” While officers searched his house, Wright said, “They put me in handcuffs in a hot patrol car for six hours, traumatizing my kids,” then ages 3, 7, and 11. The feds sought Wright’s estranged wife, apparently for suspected financial-aid fraud. However, she had moved away a year earlier.
Some paper-pushing fraud draws 15 SWAT? Be serious.
...“SWAT teams have been used to break up neighborhood poker games, sent into bars and fraternities suspected of allowing underage drinking, and even [used] to enforce alcohol and occupational licensing regulations,” including armed incursions against several black barber shops in Orlando, Fla., according to the Huffington Post’s Radley Balko, who studiously chronicles this topic. He recalls a federal SWAT outfit that invaded an Atlanta DJ’s studio on suspicion of copyright infringement....
SWAT has become the Corvette of the LEO Nancies. (You know, the 'vette makes your d*&k look real big...)
Shall We Talk About "Big Gummint"?
It's useful to re-read the Declaration of Independence every few weeks, particularly this excerpt:
"...all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security..."
(Some argue that the original premise--that all powers come FROM 'the people' --is erroneous. For the time being, we can let that rest.)
Anyhoo....
”The government,” wrote 50-year-old Denise Simon, “is too big to fight.” With those words, in a note to her 17-year-old son, Adam, she explained why she was committing suicide (via carbon monoxide) three days after 10 visibly armed IRS agents in bulletproof vests had stormed her home on Nov. 6, 2007, in search of evidence of tax evasion. Her 10-year-old daughter, Rachel, was there with Simon when the agents stormed in.
“I cannot live in terror of being accused of things I did not do,” she wrote to Adam. To the rest of the world, in a separate suicide note, she wrote: “I am currently a danger to my children. I am bringing armed officers into their home. I am compelled to distance myself from them for their safety.”
Thus begins a short but powerful essay.
...Denise Simon’s tragic fate is one of a growing number of horror stories of bureaucrats, enforcing regulations of nonviolent conduct the perpetrator may not have even suspected was illegal, brandishing weapons they arguably don’t need. These two problems - overcriminalization of essentially harmless conduct and overarming of agents in nondangerous circumstances - combine to create a federal government that can be terribly frightening....
Lest you think that this is over-wrought, recall your own understanding of "criminal actions." If you happen to share the (now-outmoded) thought that "criminal actions" necessarily require "criminal intent", you are wrong, bub.
"Outta the car, longhair!"
The Regulatory State does not care about "intent." It takes its often heavily-armed counter-action based only on the deed--no matter how trivial. Your intent is irrelevant.
Oh, yah, the Declaration has something to say about that, too:
"He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance...."
Huh.
HT: Bayou RenMan
"...all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security..."
(Some argue that the original premise--that all powers come FROM 'the people' --is erroneous. For the time being, we can let that rest.)
Anyhoo....
”The government,” wrote 50-year-old Denise Simon, “is too big to fight.” With those words, in a note to her 17-year-old son, Adam, she explained why she was committing suicide (via carbon monoxide) three days after 10 visibly armed IRS agents in bulletproof vests had stormed her home on Nov. 6, 2007, in search of evidence of tax evasion. Her 10-year-old daughter, Rachel, was there with Simon when the agents stormed in.
“I cannot live in terror of being accused of things I did not do,” she wrote to Adam. To the rest of the world, in a separate suicide note, she wrote: “I am currently a danger to my children. I am bringing armed officers into their home. I am compelled to distance myself from them for their safety.”
Thus begins a short but powerful essay.
...Denise Simon’s tragic fate is one of a growing number of horror stories of bureaucrats, enforcing regulations of nonviolent conduct the perpetrator may not have even suspected was illegal, brandishing weapons they arguably don’t need. These two problems - overcriminalization of essentially harmless conduct and overarming of agents in nondangerous circumstances - combine to create a federal government that can be terribly frightening....
Lest you think that this is over-wrought, recall your own understanding of "criminal actions." If you happen to share the (now-outmoded) thought that "criminal actions" necessarily require "criminal intent", you are wrong, bub.
"Outta the car, longhair!"
The Regulatory State does not care about "intent." It takes its often heavily-armed counter-action based only on the deed--no matter how trivial. Your intent is irrelevant.
Oh, yah, the Declaration has something to say about that, too:
"He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance...."
Huh.
HT: Bayou RenMan
Intelligent Commentary on B-16's Resignation
Since The Resignation, I've speculated that B-16's health is a real issue, not a pretext. Remember that JPII, his immediate predecessor and good friend, was virtually incapacitated due to health problems, and as a result, governance of the Church was at a virtual standstill for quite some time.
I think B-16 learned from that.
The Black Hat has a few other observations which are worth your perusal. Since he and I agree on the first premise, it's likely that he's right about all the rest, too.
And if you're one of the several million conspiracy theorists/anti-Catholics out there, go ahead and post your inane babblings in the combox.
Some of them will remain posted. It's G-2.
I think B-16 learned from that.
The Black Hat has a few other observations which are worth your perusal. Since he and I agree on the first premise, it's likely that he's right about all the rest, too.
And if you're one of the several million conspiracy theorists/anti-Catholics out there, go ahead and post your inane babblings in the combox.
Some of them will remain posted. It's G-2.
"Don't Know Much About History...."
Who knew that rock'n'rollers would be prophets?
...At the National Association of Scholars (NAS) we decided to find out, as precisely as possible, how history is actually taught at two major universities.
Last month we published the findings of our study “Recasting History: Are Race, Class, and Gender Dominating American History?”, which examines freshman and sophomore U.S. history courses at the University of Texas and Texas A&M University. We found an extraordinary emphasis on race, class, and gender. At A&M 50 percent of history course material and at UT 78 percent of the assigned readings revolve around race, class, and gender....
Well, that's all there is, right?
...At the National Association of Scholars (NAS) we decided to find out, as precisely as possible, how history is actually taught at two major universities.
Last month we published the findings of our study “Recasting History: Are Race, Class, and Gender Dominating American History?”, which examines freshman and sophomore U.S. history courses at the University of Texas and Texas A&M University. We found an extraordinary emphasis on race, class, and gender. At A&M 50 percent of history course material and at UT 78 percent of the assigned readings revolve around race, class, and gender....
Well, that's all there is, right?
Monday, February 11, 2013
Obozo: 'Sequester Will Shut Down.....(Fill in the Blank)'
The usual crapola from the Gummint.
The White House warned Friday that spending cuts set to take effect in March may result in furloughing every U.S. meat and poultry inspector for two weeks, causing the meat industry to shut down, Reuters reports.
Packers and processors are not allowed to ship meat without the Agriculture Department’s inspection seal.
This is the FedGov version of the local school-board reaction to budget cuts: 'We'll have to shut down all the sports programs.' Or of the StateGov line that 'highways will become pothole colonies.'
We already noticed that 'aircraft carriers cannot refuel,' too.
The "Granny's gonna DIE" line will be out in a couple of weeks.
As Malor explains, it's just bullshit--but hey! It works!
The White House warned Friday that spending cuts set to take effect in March may result in furloughing every U.S. meat and poultry inspector for two weeks, causing the meat industry to shut down, Reuters reports.
Packers and processors are not allowed to ship meat without the Agriculture Department’s inspection seal.
This is the FedGov version of the local school-board reaction to budget cuts: 'We'll have to shut down all the sports programs.' Or of the StateGov line that 'highways will become pothole colonies.'
We already noticed that 'aircraft carriers cannot refuel,' too.
The "Granny's gonna DIE" line will be out in a couple of weeks.
As Malor explains, it's just bullshit--but hey! It works!
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Amnesia To Follow
Seems that the Pubbies are perfectly willing to establish a registry of guns.
CNN is told the legislation they are working on would effectively require background checks on private gun purchases made with non-licensed gun dealers, according to sources in both parties. That would include closing the so-called gun show loophole.
However, the sources emphasize they are trying to work through this sticky issue so that Republicans, especially Coburn, are comfortable that it would address privacy concerns of gun owners, and would have clear exemptions for situations where a background check should not be needed. The most common example of that scenario is a grandfather or uncle giving guns they already own to a grandson or nephew. --HotAir quoting CNN
Grandson/nephew? Not children? Not next-door neighbor? "Give", not "sell for value" (even if highly discounted)?
And just exactly how do these fine-feathered Statists plan to track such gifts/sales/bargain sales? That is to say, how will they know if Gun X came from Charlie, Susie, or Bertha's collection?
Hmmmmmm???
I sense an oncoming wave of amnesia. "I dunno where that gun went."
CNN is told the legislation they are working on would effectively require background checks on private gun purchases made with non-licensed gun dealers, according to sources in both parties. That would include closing the so-called gun show loophole.
However, the sources emphasize they are trying to work through this sticky issue so that Republicans, especially Coburn, are comfortable that it would address privacy concerns of gun owners, and would have clear exemptions for situations where a background check should not be needed. The most common example of that scenario is a grandfather or uncle giving guns they already own to a grandson or nephew. --HotAir quoting CNN
Grandson/nephew? Not children? Not next-door neighbor? "Give", not "sell for value" (even if highly discounted)?
And just exactly how do these fine-feathered Statists plan to track such gifts/sales/bargain sales? That is to say, how will they know if Gun X came from Charlie, Susie, or Bertha's collection?
Hmmmmmm???
I sense an oncoming wave of amnesia. "I dunno where that gun went."
Brennan's Fog-Machine "Answer" Is Troubling
Does the current President of the US think he can order drone-kills of US citizens ON US TERRITORY?
Here's Brennan's "answer" to that question:
I have been a strong proponent of trying to be as open as possible with these programs as far as our explaining what we're doing. What we need to do is optimize transparency on these issues but at the same time optimize secrecy and the protection of our national security. I don't think that it's one or the other. It's trying to optimize both of them. And so what we need to do is make sure we explain to the American people what are the thresholds for action, what are the procedures, the practices, the processes, the approvals, the reviews?
The Office of Legal Counsel advice establishes the legal boundaries within which we can operate. It doesn't mean that we operate at those...boundaries. And in fact, I think the American people would be quite pleased to know that we've been very disciplined, very judicious and we only use these authorities and these capabilities as a last resort. --quoted at Reason, HT Hot Air
Got that? Clear, eh? Nothing to see here, move along. POTUS and a few others determine that there's a "threat" from a 'terrorist-sorta-critter' and ..........ka-boom!
Fairy tales can come true/
They can happen to you.......
Here's Brennan's "answer" to that question:
I have been a strong proponent of trying to be as open as possible with these programs as far as our explaining what we're doing. What we need to do is optimize transparency on these issues but at the same time optimize secrecy and the protection of our national security. I don't think that it's one or the other. It's trying to optimize both of them. And so what we need to do is make sure we explain to the American people what are the thresholds for action, what are the procedures, the practices, the processes, the approvals, the reviews?
The Office of Legal Counsel advice establishes the legal boundaries within which we can operate. It doesn't mean that we operate at those...boundaries. And in fact, I think the American people would be quite pleased to know that we've been very disciplined, very judicious and we only use these authorities and these capabilities as a last resort. --quoted at Reason, HT Hot Air
Got that? Clear, eh? Nothing to see here, move along. POTUS and a few others determine that there's a "threat" from a 'terrorist-sorta-critter' and ..........ka-boom!
Fairy tales can come true/
They can happen to you.......
Brennan and Benghazi
Well, let's throw a little more fog into the air.
Murphy and co-author Brandon Webb also revealed that the September 11 Benghazi terrorist attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, was retaliation by Islamist militants who had been targeted by covert U.S. military operations.
The book claims that neither Stevens nor even Petraeus knew about the raids by American special operations troops, which had 'kicked a hornet's nest' among the heavily-armed fighters after the overthrow of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
John Brennan, President Barack Obama's Deputy National Security Adviser, had been authorizing 'unilateral operations in North Africa outside of the traditional command structure,' according to the e-book. Brennan is Obama's pick to replace Petraeus as head of the CIA.
We are now in the territory of Mad Magazine's Spy v. Spy.
There's a more prurient angle at the link, by the way.
Murphy and co-author Brandon Webb also revealed that the September 11 Benghazi terrorist attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, was retaliation by Islamist militants who had been targeted by covert U.S. military operations.
The book claims that neither Stevens nor even Petraeus knew about the raids by American special operations troops, which had 'kicked a hornet's nest' among the heavily-armed fighters after the overthrow of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
John Brennan, President Barack Obama's Deputy National Security Adviser, had been authorizing 'unilateral operations in North Africa outside of the traditional command structure,' according to the e-book. Brennan is Obama's pick to replace Petraeus as head of the CIA.
We are now in the territory of Mad Magazine's Spy v. Spy.
There's a more prurient angle at the link, by the way.
Saturday, February 09, 2013
Paranoids With Assault Rifles
You don't have to go further than this picture to see what happens when paranoia is well-armed.
Think the cops will be brought up on charges?
Wanna bet?
Think the cops will be brought up on charges?
Wanna bet?
Was Act 10 Walker's Last Conservative Act?
Rumbles are rumbling.
Scott Walker added millions of dollars to his list of budget priorities Wednesday, calling for an additional $28.9 million for the state’s mental-health programs.
But Walker also said he’d like to give an undisclosed sum to shore up the state’s transportation infrastructure, mentioning freight rail in particular, and address workforce development.
Walker and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, repeatedly have said they’d like to spend up to $350 million over the next two years on income-tax relief primarily aimed at middle-class families.
And taxpayers might be asked to pony up tens of millions more if Walker can’t find alternative funding for one of his pet projects, a venture capital program.
Walker’s priorities are starting to add up – to something akin to the $419.7 million the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau projects will be in the general fund at the end of the fiscal year.
By the way, State debt hasn't dropped all that much. The biennial overdraft went away, but not the debt.
So is Scott Walker just another Gummint Guy?
Scott Walker added millions of dollars to his list of budget priorities Wednesday, calling for an additional $28.9 million for the state’s mental-health programs.
But Walker also said he’d like to give an undisclosed sum to shore up the state’s transportation infrastructure, mentioning freight rail in particular, and address workforce development.
Walker and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, repeatedly have said they’d like to spend up to $350 million over the next two years on income-tax relief primarily aimed at middle-class families.
And taxpayers might be asked to pony up tens of millions more if Walker can’t find alternative funding for one of his pet projects, a venture capital program.
Walker’s priorities are starting to add up – to something akin to the $419.7 million the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau projects will be in the general fund at the end of the fiscal year.
By the way, State debt hasn't dropped all that much. The biennial overdraft went away, but not the debt.
So is Scott Walker just another Gummint Guy?
No, Joyce: It's NOT a "Catholic" Church
Joyce Garbaciak's headline-writer is.......umnnnnhhh........un-informed.
This hallway-gathering of apostates is not a "Catholic" church.
This hallway-gathering of apostates is not a "Catholic" church.
Another Crisis!!! SCOAMF to the Rescue!!
The SCOAMF has found another crisis. (Thank his god: Marx.)
Under the broad banner of "health," the federal government not only is telling Americans what to eat, it's also telling us to make our homes safer.
This week, the Obama administration released a "bold new vision for addressing the nation's health and economic burdens caused by preventable hazards associated with the home."
Yup. That mold, lousy heat, radon--it's killing you. So you're going to damn well fix it up!
...HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan says the federal government must do "everything we can to ensure that individuals and families have a healthy place to call home." He said the strategy "will help the federal government unify action (on) controlling and preventing major housing-related exposures and hazards."
We can't wait.
And as usual, MommyGummint will evade direct responsibility for any expenses! So, the Feds will:
--Establish healthy homes recommendations (homes should be dry, clean, pest-free, safe, contaminant-free, well-ventilated, and well-maintained and thermally controlled);
--Encourage adoption of healthy homes recommendations (federal, state and local regulations)
And, of course, spend a boatload of money:
--Create and support training and workforce development to address health hazards in housing (train people for new jobs in green energy and construction);
-- Educate the public about healthy homes (advertising campaigns telling Americans how their homes ought to be)
-- Support research that advances healthy housing in a cost-effective manner (taxpayer-funded grants to study the problem).
The Americancitizen subject: bubble-wrapped child.
Under the broad banner of "health," the federal government not only is telling Americans what to eat, it's also telling us to make our homes safer.
This week, the Obama administration released a "bold new vision for addressing the nation's health and economic burdens caused by preventable hazards associated with the home."
Yup. That mold, lousy heat, radon--it's killing you. So you're going to damn well fix it up!
...HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan says the federal government must do "everything we can to ensure that individuals and families have a healthy place to call home." He said the strategy "will help the federal government unify action (on) controlling and preventing major housing-related exposures and hazards."
We can't wait.
And as usual, MommyGummint will evade direct responsibility for any expenses! So, the Feds will:
--Establish healthy homes recommendations (homes should be dry, clean, pest-free, safe, contaminant-free, well-ventilated, and well-maintained and thermally controlled);
--Encourage adoption of healthy homes recommendations (federal, state and local regulations)
And, of course, spend a boatload of money:
--Create and support training and workforce development to address health hazards in housing (train people for new jobs in green energy and construction);
-- Educate the public about healthy homes (advertising campaigns telling Americans how their homes ought to be)
-- Support research that advances healthy housing in a cost-effective manner (taxpayer-funded grants to study the problem).
The American
Another Fetid Tidbit on ObozoCare
Maybe you knew this--but I didn't.
That $2,000/head penalty that a business pays if the business does NOT provide health-coverage for its employees.....?
That's NOT a deductible expense.
That $2,000/head penalty that a business pays if the business does NOT provide health-coverage for its employees.....?
That's NOT a deductible expense.
Thursday, February 07, 2013
You Don't Pay Enough for Groceries, Do You?
Did we ever mention 'the cost of regulation'?
Supermarket owners argue a pending federal food-labeling rule that stems from the new health care law would overburden thousands of grocers and convenience store owners — to the tune of $1 billion in the first year alone. --Fox News quoted at Saints
The proposed regulation would require store owners to label prepared, unpackaged foods found in salad bars and food bars, soups and bakery items. Erik Lieberman, regulatory counsel at the Food Marketing Institute, said testing foods for nutritional data will require either expensive software or even more costly off-site laboratory assessments.
Read the first sentence of the second graf again.
Those people are nuts. Abso-frickin'-lutely nuts.
Supermarket owners argue a pending federal food-labeling rule that stems from the new health care law would overburden thousands of grocers and convenience store owners — to the tune of $1 billion in the first year alone. --Fox News quoted at Saints
The proposed regulation would require store owners to label prepared, unpackaged foods found in salad bars and food bars, soups and bakery items. Erik Lieberman, regulatory counsel at the Food Marketing Institute, said testing foods for nutritional data will require either expensive software or even more costly off-site laboratory assessments.
Read the first sentence of the second graf again.
Those people are nuts. Abso-frickin'-lutely nuts.
Just What in Hell Is Ryan Saying?
Did Paul Ryan go squish on 'background checks'?
“I think we should look into someone who is not legally allowed to buy a gun going to (a show), buying one, and let’s figure that out,” he said. “I think we need to find out how to close these loopholes and do it in such a way that we don’t infringe on Second Amendment rights.” --Quoted at Captain's Journal
Well.
It's one thing to finagle a law that requires all sales at gun shows to be backgrounded.
It's another thing entirely to require ALL sales or bequests--regardless of location--to be backgrounded. That amounts to national registration, although it will take a couple dozen years to get all the names in the Homeland "Security" database.
Whatcha up to, Paul?
“I think we should look into someone who is not legally allowed to buy a gun going to (a show), buying one, and let’s figure that out,” he said. “I think we need to find out how to close these loopholes and do it in such a way that we don’t infringe on Second Amendment rights.” --Quoted at Captain's Journal
Well.
It's one thing to finagle a law that requires all sales at gun shows to be backgrounded.
It's another thing entirely to require ALL sales or bequests--regardless of location--to be backgrounded. That amounts to national registration, although it will take a couple dozen years to get all the names in the Homeland "Security" database.
Whatcha up to, Paul?
Umnnhhhh...SCOAMF Was Sleeping Through Benghazi
While Bill Kristol cannot believe Panetta, we can. The guy simply, purposely, turned "unavailable."
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta testified this morning on Capitol Hill that President Barack Obama was absent the night four Americans were murdered in Benghazi on September 11, 2012.
Obama went to bed without knowing the status of the US Ambassador.
It's also reported that Panetta did not TRY to reach the SCOAMF.
Panetta also remarked that "the military is not 911". Well, Leon, you chickenshit REMF, whaddya call Bosnia?
Oh. I forgot. Bosnians are NOT American citizens. So for them, the US military IS 911.
Disgusting piece of crap you are, Leon. California deserves you.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta testified this morning on Capitol Hill that President Barack Obama was absent the night four Americans were murdered in Benghazi on September 11, 2012.
Obama went to bed without knowing the status of the US Ambassador.
It's also reported that Panetta did not TRY to reach the SCOAMF.
After a pre-scheduled afternoon meeting, Defense
Secretary Leon Panetta testified that he never heard from President
Obama the night of September 11. In fact, Panetta said, he had no
further communication from the White House that night—even as the attack
turned deadly. This is truly extraordinary—and appalling.
And both Panetta and Dempsey admitted in today’s
hearing that they were not in touch with Clinton at all the evening of
9/11. “[W]e never received a request for support from the State
Department,” Dempsey said, explaining why the American military had not
made any attempt to save the endangered Americans.
So the Cabinet officials weren't in touch with each other, and the president wasn't in touch with anyonePanetta also remarked that "the military is not 911". Well, Leon, you chickenshit REMF, whaddya call Bosnia?
Oh. I forgot. Bosnians are NOT American citizens. So for them, the US military IS 911.
Disgusting piece of crap you are, Leon. California deserves you.
....Only LEO's Should Have Guns, Ya' Know....
No doubt this critter was run through a shrink before hire.
The fired ex-California cop who set off a region-wide manhunt after allegedly shooting three police officers this morning -- one fatally -- had initially gone to a yacht club near San Diego where police say he attempted to steal a boat and flee to Mexico.
...Police say the rifle marksman shot at four officers in two incidents overnight, hitting three of them: one in Corona, Calif., and the two in Riverside, Calif.
Well, did he use an AR-15? Because if not, then there's no problem!!
OH, by the way: the guy is a Lefty Bozo of the first water.
The fired ex-California cop who set off a region-wide manhunt after allegedly shooting three police officers this morning -- one fatally -- had initially gone to a yacht club near San Diego where police say he attempted to steal a boat and flee to Mexico.
...Police say the rifle marksman shot at four officers in two incidents overnight, hitting three of them: one in Corona, Calif., and the two in Riverside, Calif.
Well, did he use an AR-15? Because if not, then there's no problem!!
OH, by the way: the guy is a Lefty Bozo of the first water.
DHS' War Preparations
There's a reason that it's hard to find ammo these days.
It's called Department of Homeland "Security."
The Department of Homeland Security is set to purchase a further 21.6 million rounds of ammunition to add to the 1.6 billion bullets it has already obtained over the course of the last 10 months alone, figures which have stoked concerns that the federal agency is preparing for civil unrest.
Think that's a lot? A little? Here's a comparison:
...during the height of active battle operations in Iraq, US soldiers used 5.5 million rounds of ammunition a month. Extrapolating the figures, the DHS has purchased enough bullets over the last 10 months to wage a full scale war for almost 30 years.
Well! That should be sufficient, right?
It's called Department of Homeland "Security."
The Department of Homeland Security is set to purchase a further 21.6 million rounds of ammunition to add to the 1.6 billion bullets it has already obtained over the course of the last 10 months alone, figures which have stoked concerns that the federal agency is preparing for civil unrest.
Think that's a lot? A little? Here's a comparison:
...during the height of active battle operations in Iraq, US soldiers used 5.5 million rounds of ammunition a month. Extrapolating the figures, the DHS has purchased enough bullets over the last 10 months to wage a full scale war for almost 30 years.
Well! That should be sufficient, right?
Oh, Yes, "Your" Government Can Do This--To You
Long story, but all I'll give you is the link.
Still think you can trust them with drones--or the "right" to kill US citizens who are 'associated with terrorist groups'?
Then you're a damn fool.
Still think you can trust them with drones--or the "right" to kill US citizens who are 'associated with terrorist groups'?
Then you're a damn fool.
Rand Paul's Foreign Policy
Interesting. He likes Kennan's (a Milwaukeean's) stuff.
Senator and Republican presidential prospect Rand Paul gave a highly anticipated speech today at the Heritage Foundation, asking his fellow Republicans and citizens to fundamentally rethink American foreign policy. Appealing to the theory of George Kennan and the practice of Ronald Reagan, the junior senator from Kentucky advocated a thoughtful but firm policy of containment to balance legitimate concerns about foreign threats posed by radical jihad in particular with conservative ideas. In his words, “I’d argue that a more restrained foreign policy is the true conservative foreign policy, as it includes two basic tenets of true conservatism: respect for the Constitution and fiscal discipline.”
That's from this link.
Here's more--from another link:
...He went on to put this into a context: “that the West is in for a long, irregular confrontation not with terrorism, which is simply a tactic, but with Radical Islam.”
Well, it's not just the Islamists--after all, the ChiComs (and their wacky-duck nephew in N Korea) have their own plans.
But you get the idea.
AmSpecBlogs.
Senator and Republican presidential prospect Rand Paul gave a highly anticipated speech today at the Heritage Foundation, asking his fellow Republicans and citizens to fundamentally rethink American foreign policy. Appealing to the theory of George Kennan and the practice of Ronald Reagan, the junior senator from Kentucky advocated a thoughtful but firm policy of containment to balance legitimate concerns about foreign threats posed by radical jihad in particular with conservative ideas. In his words, “I’d argue that a more restrained foreign policy is the true conservative foreign policy, as it includes two basic tenets of true conservatism: respect for the Constitution and fiscal discipline.”
That's from this link.
Here's more--from another link:
...He went on to put this into a context: “that the West is in for a long, irregular confrontation not with terrorism, which is simply a tactic, but with Radical Islam.”
Well, it's not just the Islamists--after all, the ChiComs (and their wacky-duck nephew in N Korea) have their own plans.
But you get the idea.
AmSpecBlogs.
Don't Like Spy-Drones? You'll Have to Move
We note that Wisconsin is not on this list.
What do Montana, California, Oregon, Texas, Nebraska, Missouri, North Dakota, Florida, Virginia, Maine, and Oklahoma have in common? They are all currently looking to restrict the use of drones over their skies amid concerns the unmanned aerial vehicles could be exploited to spy on Americans.
It's not a complete and total ban:
...Virginia legislators included a provision that would allow the use of drones only in the case of emergencies or missing children.
What do Montana, California, Oregon, Texas, Nebraska, Missouri, North Dakota, Florida, Virginia, Maine, and Oklahoma have in common? They are all currently looking to restrict the use of drones over their skies amid concerns the unmanned aerial vehicles could be exploited to spy on Americans.
It's not a complete and total ban:
...Virginia legislators included a provision that would allow the use of drones only in the case of emergencies or missing children.
[In Montana, Rep.] Rosendale is sponsoring a measure that
would only let law enforcement use drones with a search warrant, and
would make it illegal for private citizens to spy on neighbors with
drones.
The full Montana Senate endorsed a
somewhat broader measure Tuesday that bans information collected by
drones from being used in court. It also would bar local and state
government ownership of drones equipped with weapons, such as stunning
devices.
...A Missouri House committee looked at a bill Tuesday that would outlaw
the use of unmanned aircraft to conduct surveillance on individuals or
property, providing an exclusion for police working with a search
warrant.
Here in Wisconsin, leggies are too busy to worry about police states.
(While I'm still not sure where "the right to privacy" is found in the Constitution, the 4th Amendment still exists.)
"What Difference? At Least TWO Lives, Hildebeeste
We're getting closer to determining who sat on their fat ass(es) (or slept through the 3 AM call...)
...A Defense Department official told CNSNews.com, however, that the type of aircraft that was used that night and the decision to use it were both determinations made by the State Department.
...According to a timeline released by the Office of Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, the chartered private plane took off from Tripoli and headed to Benghazi with the rescue team about 2 hours and 48 minutes after the terrorist attack in Benghazi started at 9:42 p.m. Libya time.
...After Amb. Stevens' incomplete we-are-under-attack phone call to his deputy in Tripoli, it took almost three hours for the U.S. government to get a solitary private charter plane on the way to Benghazi--and almost four hours to get that plane landed at the Benghazi airport....
Seems that the CIA "chartered a plane". State was still sleeping in, or whatever.
After the first attack there were TWO dead Americans, including the Ambassador.
Then we sent an un-armed TV-broadcasting drone. THAT made a difference, eh??
Too bad nobody--not POTUS, not Hildebeeste--called the military.
...“There is no question that we could have moved an airplane in there and we could have also put boots on the ground at the embassy,” Gen. Boykin told CNSNews.com. “But just dealing with the aircraft issue, we could have moved a military plane in there, picked those people up, moved them to Benghazi. And, in fact, we could’ve gotten people moved by helicopter, launched them out of the Sixth Fleet or the naval base in Rota, Spain.”
He oughta know. He is the ex-Commander of all our Special Forces.
There's another difference, Hildebeeste: Goblins pay attention to what we do, and what we do not do. If we had sent Special Forces--as you could have--they would know that we really do mean to protect our citizens and diplomats.
Your (and your boss') response told them something else entirely.
...A Defense Department official told CNSNews.com, however, that the type of aircraft that was used that night and the decision to use it were both determinations made by the State Department.
...According to a timeline released by the Office of Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, the chartered private plane took off from Tripoli and headed to Benghazi with the rescue team about 2 hours and 48 minutes after the terrorist attack in Benghazi started at 9:42 p.m. Libya time.
...After Amb. Stevens' incomplete we-are-under-attack phone call to his deputy in Tripoli, it took almost three hours for the U.S. government to get a solitary private charter plane on the way to Benghazi--and almost four hours to get that plane landed at the Benghazi airport....
Seems that the CIA "chartered a plane". State was still sleeping in, or whatever.
After the first attack there were TWO dead Americans, including the Ambassador.
Then we sent an un-armed TV-broadcasting drone. THAT made a difference, eh??
Too bad nobody--not POTUS, not Hildebeeste--called the military.
...“There is no question that we could have moved an airplane in there and we could have also put boots on the ground at the embassy,” Gen. Boykin told CNSNews.com. “But just dealing with the aircraft issue, we could have moved a military plane in there, picked those people up, moved them to Benghazi. And, in fact, we could’ve gotten people moved by helicopter, launched them out of the Sixth Fleet or the naval base in Rota, Spain.”
He oughta know. He is the ex-Commander of all our Special Forces.
There's another difference, Hildebeeste: Goblins pay attention to what we do, and what we do not do. If we had sent Special Forces--as you could have--they would know that we really do mean to protect our citizens and diplomats.
Your (and your boss') response told them something else entirely.
The Direct Attack on Intermediaries
Couldn't be plainer than McDermott's remarks.
"When I grew up, my grandmother had four daughters, and she spent three months with each one of them. And she had no Medicare, she had no Social Security. And she lived with her daughters. And we took care of her. I mean, I got thrown out of my bedroom. My bedroom became grandma's bedroom, I slept on the couch in the living room, because that's the way families took care of their seniors before 1964.
Indeed, Rep. McDermott: they took care of them. That's what families do.
The family is the first and most important Intermediary Institution--which McDermott and his ilk have been attacking since....oh....1964.
..."Now we have a Medicare program, where my father -- and my father lived to 93, my mother to 97 -- and my brothers and sisters and I did nothing for them, except pay their taxes.
"One year, we gave my mom a Christmas gift, a hearing aid. A hearing aid cost about $800, a lot of money. So all of us chipped in and we bought my ma a hearing aid. That was her Christmas gift...Medicare doesn't cover that....
Damn nice of you, Jim.
"When I grew up, my grandmother had four daughters, and she spent three months with each one of them. And she had no Medicare, she had no Social Security. And she lived with her daughters. And we took care of her. I mean, I got thrown out of my bedroom. My bedroom became grandma's bedroom, I slept on the couch in the living room, because that's the way families took care of their seniors before 1964.
Indeed, Rep. McDermott: they took care of them. That's what families do.
The family is the first and most important Intermediary Institution--which McDermott and his ilk have been attacking since....oh....1964.
..."Now we have a Medicare program, where my father -- and my father lived to 93, my mother to 97 -- and my brothers and sisters and I did nothing for them, except pay their taxes.
"One year, we gave my mom a Christmas gift, a hearing aid. A hearing aid cost about $800, a lot of money. So all of us chipped in and we bought my ma a hearing aid. That was her Christmas gift...Medicare doesn't cover that....
Damn nice of you, Jim.
Wednesday, February 06, 2013
Surprise! Milwaukee DA Doesn't Prosecute Gun Crimes
Seems as though "gun crimes" aren't high on the Milwaukee DA's list of "crimes."
...on Tuesday, Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke issued a report detailing the abysmal rate at which so-called ‘straw purchasers’ of guns are actually prosecuted in Milwaukee County.
...on Tuesday, Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke issued a report detailing the abysmal rate at which so-called ‘straw purchasers’ of guns are actually prosecuted in Milwaukee County.
According to data compiled by the Sheriff’s Department, “between
2001 and 2012, data gleaned from the Milwaukee County District
Attorney’s office reveals that a meager 43 cases were issued for straw
purchase violations.” And of those 43 cases, just 20 (46%) resulted in
convictions....
After all that noise about Badger Guns (entirely justified, by the way), the casual observer would think that you could pick up 43 straw-buyers every WEEK at the doors to that joint.
Forty-three in 10 years? Give us a break.
Yah, ObozoCare IS Exxxxxxpensssssive...
Twenty grand for a minimum-coverage family policy, eh?
And as Coyote points out, Drum is a very stupid "journalist." Single policies are NOT 'more expensive' than family policies.
Twenty grand happens to be the cost of a family policy for a State of Wisconsin employee.
Compare that with the current national average of around $16 grand....and you begin to get the idea.
And as Coyote points out, Drum is a very stupid "journalist." Single policies are NOT 'more expensive' than family policies.
Twenty grand happens to be the cost of a family policy for a State of Wisconsin employee.
Compare that with the current national average of around $16 grand....and you begin to get the idea.
Tuesday, February 05, 2013
Apocalypse Money Games
If you're inclined to survivalism, this little item will put spurs into your ribs.
Central banks all over the world are flooding the zone with money hot off the press, all in the name of stimulus. Even a country such as Switzerland, with a traditionally stable currency and low inflation rates, finds itself caught in the dance. How can it afford to let the Swiss franc appreciate against the currencies of its commercial rivals? The powers-that-be in Switzerland have concluded that they can’t, and they may have a better excuse than Ben Bernanke et al., whose commitment to keep doing what isn’t working continues unabated.
Now quoting from the WSJ:
...Since the end of November, when it became clear that Shinzo Abe and his agenda of growth-at-all-costs would win Japan’s elections, the yen has lost more than 10% against the dollar and some 15% against the euro. The greenback last week plumbed its lowest level against the euro in nearly 15 months.
These moves are angering export-driven countries such as Brazil and South Korea. But they also are stirring the pot in Europe. The euro zone has largely sat out this round of monetary stimulus and now finds itself in the invidious position of having a contracting economy and a rising currency
Hmmmmm.
Central banks all over the world are flooding the zone with money hot off the press, all in the name of stimulus. Even a country such as Switzerland, with a traditionally stable currency and low inflation rates, finds itself caught in the dance. How can it afford to let the Swiss franc appreciate against the currencies of its commercial rivals? The powers-that-be in Switzerland have concluded that they can’t, and they may have a better excuse than Ben Bernanke et al., whose commitment to keep doing what isn’t working continues unabated.
Now quoting from the WSJ:
...Since the end of November, when it became clear that Shinzo Abe and his agenda of growth-at-all-costs would win Japan’s elections, the yen has lost more than 10% against the dollar and some 15% against the euro. The greenback last week plumbed its lowest level against the euro in nearly 15 months.
These moves are angering export-driven countries such as Brazil and South Korea. But they also are stirring the pot in Europe. The euro zone has largely sat out this round of monetary stimulus and now finds itself in the invidious position of having a contracting economy and a rising currency
Hmmmmm.
The Obama Solution: "Just Kill 'Em"
Yes, that's his position on abortion. And on other US citizens.
A confidential Justice Department memo concludes that the U.S. government can order the killing of American citizens if they are believed to be “senior operational leaders” of al-Qaida or “an associated force” -- even if there is no intelligence indicating they are engaged in an active plot to attack the U.S.
Hmmmmmm.
This is called "self-defense."
...the confidential Justice Department “white paper” introduces a more expansive definition of self-defense or imminent attack than described by Brennan or Holder in their public speeches. It refers, for example, to what it calls a “broader concept of imminence” than actual intelligence about any ongoing plot against the U.S. homeland.
Oh?
...it says, an “informed, high-level” official of the U.S. government may determine that the targeted American has been “recently” involved in “activities” posing a threat of a violent attack and “there is no evidence suggesting that he has renounced or abandoned such activities.”
Umnnhhh...so far, the "just kill 'em" thing is limited to offshore US citizens and on-shore pre-born babies.
But the language of the document doesn't preclude on-shore drone strikes, does it?
A confidential Justice Department memo concludes that the U.S. government can order the killing of American citizens if they are believed to be “senior operational leaders” of al-Qaida or “an associated force” -- even if there is no intelligence indicating they are engaged in an active plot to attack the U.S.
Hmmmmmm.
This is called "self-defense."
...the confidential Justice Department “white paper” introduces a more expansive definition of self-defense or imminent attack than described by Brennan or Holder in their public speeches. It refers, for example, to what it calls a “broader concept of imminence” than actual intelligence about any ongoing plot against the U.S. homeland.
Oh?
...it says, an “informed, high-level” official of the U.S. government may determine that the targeted American has been “recently” involved in “activities” posing a threat of a violent attack and “there is no evidence suggesting that he has renounced or abandoned such activities.”
Umnnhhh...so far, the "just kill 'em" thing is limited to offshore US citizens and on-shore pre-born babies.
But the language of the document doesn't preclude on-shore drone strikes, does it?
Monday, February 04, 2013
George Washington Begs to Differ, Obozo
Campaigning in the Twin Cities, SCOAMF ignores the American Revolution.
...The president additionally used
Monday's speech to forcefully call for a ban on assault weapons and
high-capacity magazines, legislation for which has been introduced in
the Senate.
"Weapons of war have no place on our streets or in our schools or threatening our law enforcement officers," Obama said.
Yah, right. Tell it to the Minutemen, dumbass.
Obozo the Serial Lawbreaker
Hope he's not all NancyPants HuffyPuffy when others don't bother with his laws...
Senate Republicans are sending a letter Monday to the White House budget office arguing that President Obama’s nominee to be treasury secretary, Jacob “Jack” Lew, was complicit in breaking a Medicare budget law.
The letter comes the same day that Mr. Obama officially missed another deadline in the budget law by failing to submit his blueprint on the first Monday in February. The president has only met that deadline once in his tenure. --AOSHQ quoting WaTimes
Best way to demolish the rule of law? Be the President, and don't bother about "laws."
Senate Republicans are sending a letter Monday to the White House budget office arguing that President Obama’s nominee to be treasury secretary, Jacob “Jack” Lew, was complicit in breaking a Medicare budget law.
The letter comes the same day that Mr. Obama officially missed another deadline in the budget law by failing to submit his blueprint on the first Monday in February. The president has only met that deadline once in his tenure. --AOSHQ quoting WaTimes
Best way to demolish the rule of law? Be the President, and don't bother about "laws."
Rove Joins Obozo!
Today's top story...in two segments. First up:
George Soros said he thinks President
Barack Obama is trying to divide the Republican Party and split off the
Tea Party “extremists” — something that if successful, would restore the
balance of the two-party system.
“I think Obama is trying to split the
Republican Party between the Tea Party and the establishment,” the
billionaire investor and self-described “bleeding heart liberal” told a
group of reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on
Jan. 24....
Umnnhh....yah...where have we heard that sorta rhetoric before?
[Karl Rove's American Crossroads, t]he people who brought us No Child Left Behind, Medicare Part D, TARP,
the GM bailout, Harriet Miers, etc., etc., etc. are really hacked off
that people have been rejecting them. In 2012, about the only
successful Republican candidates were the ones who directly rejected the
legacy of these people.
*Cough*
Yah, there's a two-party system in place. The Party of Government and the Party of Freedom.
Take your choice.
Sunday, February 03, 2013
Highest Violent-Crime Rate? It Ain't the USA
I was skeptical when I heard--from the usual suspects--that the US' violent-crime rate was off the charts.
It is, compared to some places...
It is, compared to some places...
Britain’s violent crime record is worse than any other country in the European union, it has been revealed.
Official crime figures show the UK also
has a worse rate for all types of violence than the U.S. and even South
Africa – widely considered one of the world’s most dangerous countries.
--The Captain quoting Daily Mail
--The Captain quoting Daily Mail
Big Sis "The Decider." We Feel Better Already!
Schumer, a sub-vile cretin if there ever was one....
...Under a bipartisan Senate framework, Democrats say, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano would have final say over whether the border is secure enough to put 11 million illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship.
If Napolitano does not provide the green light for putting illegal immigrants on a pathway to citizenship, the responsibility for judging whether the metrics for border security have been met will be given to her successor. --Gateway quoting The Hill
Looks like Rubio's time to get off the train.
...Under a bipartisan Senate framework, Democrats say, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano would have final say over whether the border is secure enough to put 11 million illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship.
If Napolitano does not provide the green light for putting illegal immigrants on a pathway to citizenship, the responsibility for judging whether the metrics for border security have been met will be given to her successor. --Gateway quoting The Hill
Looks like Rubio's time to get off the train.
Unicorns and Pink Bunnies!! The New ObozoCare
So Malor went to the trouble of actually reading the ObozoCare reg-workaround to the 'religion problem.'
It's going to be MAGIC!!
...If neither the insured person nor the employer was going to pay for this healthcare, who was? Today's notice of rulemaking solves the problem by declaring that no one does.
The Obama Administration accomplished this feat of financial witchery by making two magical claims. First, it declares that for insured group health plans, the cost of contraception and abortifacient coverage with be "cost neutral, and may result in cost savings" once all other benefits are considered. (Pardon me for a minute while I flash back to Obama making the same false claim about Obamacare's own impact on the federal budget.)
That is, HHS simply mandated that this change 'WILL be cost-neutral.' Ex nihilo, "cost-neutral."
The rule cites a study that finds the cost of contraception is cheaper than the cost of unplanned pregnancy, which is idiotically beside the point, since no one, not even the Obama Administration, is suggesting that people who do not get free contraception will necessarily fail to use any contraception at all. This pathetic, financially dubious dodge is the fig leaf that the Obama Administration has hung on the religious employer exception. It gets worse though.
Second, for self-insured health groups, like some corporations, the proposed rule says the cost of contraception and abortifacients will be offset because the ultimate issuer of the objectionable coverage (the rule contemplates a third party) will get to deduct the cost from the federally-mandated exchange fees that all such insurers will have to pay to continue operating under Obamacare. Essentially, Obama is saying to these insurers: "You must pay me a fee to stay in business, but you can deduct the cost of contraception from the fee, so that makes the contraception coverage free."
Obozo didn't 'contemplate' the taxpayer, who WILL pay for the deduction.
But at least that's consistent.
It's going to be MAGIC!!
...If neither the insured person nor the employer was going to pay for this healthcare, who was? Today's notice of rulemaking solves the problem by declaring that no one does.
The Obama Administration accomplished this feat of financial witchery by making two magical claims. First, it declares that for insured group health plans, the cost of contraception and abortifacient coverage with be "cost neutral, and may result in cost savings" once all other benefits are considered. (Pardon me for a minute while I flash back to Obama making the same false claim about Obamacare's own impact on the federal budget.)
That is, HHS simply mandated that this change 'WILL be cost-neutral.' Ex nihilo, "cost-neutral."
The rule cites a study that finds the cost of contraception is cheaper than the cost of unplanned pregnancy, which is idiotically beside the point, since no one, not even the Obama Administration, is suggesting that people who do not get free contraception will necessarily fail to use any contraception at all. This pathetic, financially dubious dodge is the fig leaf that the Obama Administration has hung on the religious employer exception. It gets worse though.
Second, for self-insured health groups, like some corporations, the proposed rule says the cost of contraception and abortifacients will be offset because the ultimate issuer of the objectionable coverage (the rule contemplates a third party) will get to deduct the cost from the federally-mandated exchange fees that all such insurers will have to pay to continue operating under Obamacare. Essentially, Obama is saying to these insurers: "You must pay me a fee to stay in business, but you can deduct the cost of contraception from the fee, so that makes the contraception coverage free."
Obozo didn't 'contemplate' the taxpayer, who WILL pay for the deduction.
But at least that's consistent.
CCW Training Accomplished
So one of the little darlings took and passed the CCW training.
Phone convo:
"Hey, I took the CCW training yesterday!"
"Will you get a license?"
"Yes."
"Ya gonna carry?"
"Maybe a Taser."
"Well, if it's a gun, it has to be light and compact."
"Yeah, I saw a Ruger in .380 at the training place."
"Well, yah, but the .380's kinda light. You'll burn 5 rounds just stopping the perp."
"Well, I don't want to KILL someone!"
"I said 'Stop,' not 'kill.' You believe that 'one-shot/one-kill' Hollywood stuff? Read some literature....."
Let's hope that CCW training of the future includes some material that differentiates 'stop' from 'kill,' and that they require reading "In the Gravest Extreme," too.
Phone convo:
"Hey, I took the CCW training yesterday!"
"Will you get a license?"
"Yes."
"Ya gonna carry?"
"Maybe a Taser."
"Well, if it's a gun, it has to be light and compact."
"Yeah, I saw a Ruger in .380 at the training place."
"Well, yah, but the .380's kinda light. You'll burn 5 rounds just stopping the perp."
"Well, I don't want to KILL someone!"
"I said 'Stop,' not 'kill.' You believe that 'one-shot/one-kill' Hollywood stuff? Read some literature....."
Let's hope that CCW training of the future includes some material that differentiates 'stop' from 'kill,' and that they require reading "In the Gravest Extreme," too.
Server Security? Maybe, Maybe Not
Interesting little story here.
In brief, servers have embedded OS-management systems. You don't know they're there; and only a very few folks know the password(s)--we think.
Oh, yah--the hardware is made by the ChiComs.
In brief, servers have embedded OS-management systems. You don't know they're there; and only a very few folks know the password(s)--we think.
Oh, yah--the hardware is made by the ChiComs.
For BureaucratBozos: What Is "Accountable"?
Seems that the local BATFE is managed by complete idiots. Well, it's Gummint, ya' know...
Here's the Congressional reaction:
....“The mismanaged operation included numerous careless and costly mistakes,” Sensenbrenner told FoxNews.com in a written statement. “Along with my colleagues, I am asking the ATF what happened in Milwaukee and who will be held accountable....--quoted at MoonBattery
The first question: what does 'accountable' mean in Gummint-speak?
For the Benghazi incident, four State paper-pushers were "re-assigned." (They traded desk jobs with no change in salary, benefits, or pensions.) That is in contrast to the re-assignment of the four Americans who were killed due to their "mistakes."
For Fast & Furious, one (maybe two) BATFE bozos were dismissed--but not to worry, their pension and retirement-health bennies remain intact.
Does "accountable" mean that someone will actually be fired? Lose their pension and bennies?
Whaddya wanna bet?
Here's the Congressional reaction:
....“The mismanaged operation included numerous careless and costly mistakes,” Sensenbrenner told FoxNews.com in a written statement. “Along with my colleagues, I am asking the ATF what happened in Milwaukee and who will be held accountable....--quoted at MoonBattery
The first question: what does 'accountable' mean in Gummint-speak?
For the Benghazi incident, four State paper-pushers were "re-assigned." (They traded desk jobs with no change in salary, benefits, or pensions.) That is in contrast to the re-assignment of the four Americans who were killed due to their "mistakes."
For Fast & Furious, one (maybe two) BATFE bozos were dismissed--but not to worry, their pension and retirement-health bennies remain intact.
Does "accountable" mean that someone will actually be fired? Lose their pension and bennies?
Whaddya wanna bet?
Saturday, February 02, 2013
Finally!! Cdl. Mahoney Slapped!!
The current Archbishop of Los Angeles has ordered the former Cardinal of Los Angeles to sit down and shut up. (Close enough. Mahony was forbidden any "public duties," meaning no more ceremonial appearances followed by champagne-and-cake. Not really a big deal in effect--but the symbolism is significant.)
Mahony--a vainglorious fellow--slapped back at his successor, Gomez.
...All the advice was to remove priests from active ministry if there was reasonable suspicion that abuse had occurred, and then refer them to one of the several residential treatment centers across the country for evaluation and recommendation....
If that sounds familiar, it should: it was Weakland's "defense", too, after he gave up on the "the kids seduced the priests" bullshit.
But there's a problem with that defense which Ms. Scalia didn't mention: the repeat offenses. The old Jewish saying holds: 'Screw me once, shame on you; screw me twice, shame on me."
Weakland and Mahony both allowed serial predations. (Cousins, too, here in Milwaukee.) I'll grant the veracity of Mahony's line: in fact, 'send 'em to a shrink and they'll be fine' WAS the 'best advice' in those days. (It was wrong, but...)
However, when the same perp bops another boy or three after Treatment One, it should have been curtains for the collar-privilege and hard-time for the perp.
We note that Mahony avoided that discussion, just like Bertie.
Mahony--a vainglorious fellow--slapped back at his successor, Gomez.
...All the advice was to remove priests from active ministry if there was reasonable suspicion that abuse had occurred, and then refer them to one of the several residential treatment centers across the country for evaluation and recommendation....
If that sounds familiar, it should: it was Weakland's "defense", too, after he gave up on the "the kids seduced the priests" bullshit.
But there's a problem with that defense which Ms. Scalia didn't mention: the repeat offenses. The old Jewish saying holds: 'Screw me once, shame on you; screw me twice, shame on me."
Weakland and Mahony both allowed serial predations. (Cousins, too, here in Milwaukee.) I'll grant the veracity of Mahony's line: in fact, 'send 'em to a shrink and they'll be fine' WAS the 'best advice' in those days. (It was wrong, but...)
However, when the same perp bops another boy or three after Treatment One, it should have been curtains for the collar-privilege and hard-time for the perp.
We note that Mahony avoided that discussion, just like Bertie.
Stadiums: Pay at Their Window
We learn that Green Bay is really #1!!
Your city [Green Bay] is the Super Bowl champ in taxpayer-subsidized sports stadiums per capita.
And despite the fact that Milwaukee lost some Packer games (due to Bud Selig), Milwaukee is not far behind!! Milwaukee (and the surrounding counties) are #5!!! Give yourselves a big round of applause.
...The city’s Major League Baseball stadium, Miller Park, where the Milwaukee Brewers play, was completed in 2001, mostly with taxpayer money. Through 2010, the stadium had cost taxpayers $681 million — more than any other stadium in baseball....
Did you bring your Vaseline?
Here's the real screamer:
...In 2004, former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson accused former owner and now baseball commissioner Bud Selig of misrepresenting the team’s finances in order to receive public funds for the stadium
That was after Tommy "stuck it to 'em" with the TommyBud Tax.
Selig says that taxpayer-pay stadiums is a good thing. You'll have to read that crapola on your own.
Your city [Green Bay] is the Super Bowl champ in taxpayer-subsidized sports stadiums per capita.
And despite the fact that Milwaukee lost some Packer games (due to Bud Selig), Milwaukee is not far behind!! Milwaukee (and the surrounding counties) are #5!!! Give yourselves a big round of applause.
...The city’s Major League Baseball stadium, Miller Park, where the Milwaukee Brewers play, was completed in 2001, mostly with taxpayer money. Through 2010, the stadium had cost taxpayers $681 million — more than any other stadium in baseball....
Did you bring your Vaseline?
Here's the real screamer:
...In 2004, former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson accused former owner and now baseball commissioner Bud Selig of misrepresenting the team’s finances in order to receive public funds for the stadium
That was after Tommy "stuck it to 'em" with the TommyBud Tax.
Selig says that taxpayer-pay stadiums is a good thing. You'll have to read that crapola on your own.
Why, Yes, Ahhh...Like Lincoln
Sent by a friend:
Parallels of Abraham Lincoln and Barack Hussein Obama:
1. Lincoln placed his hand on the Bible for his inauguration. Obama used the very same Bible Lincoln used, for his inauguration.
2. Lincoln came from Illinois . Obama comes from Illinois .
3. Lincoln served in the Illinois Legislature. Obama served in the Illinois Legislature.
4. Lincoln had very little experience before becoming President. Obama had very little experience before becoming President.
5. Lincoln rode the train from Philadelphia to Washington for his inauguration. Obama rode the train from Philadelphia to Washington for his inauguration.
6. Lincoln was highly respected by some, but intensely disliked by others. Obama is highly respected by some, but intensely disliked by others.
7. Abraham Lincoln was a tall, skinny lawyer. Barack Obama is a tall, skinny lawyer.
8. Lincoln held to basic Conservative and Christian views. Obama is a tall, skinny lawyer.
9. Lincoln volunteered in the Illinois militia; once as a captain, twice as a private. Obama is a tall, skinny lawyer.
10. Lincoln firmly believed in able persons carrying their own weight. Obama is a tall, skinny lawyer.
11. Lincoln's administration had to borrow a lot of money to abolish slavery and save our nation, via the Civil War. Obama is a tall, skinny lawyer.
12. Lincoln was undeniably, and without any doubt, born in the United States . Obama is a tall, skinny lawyer.
13. Lincoln was honest - so honest that he was called 'Honest Abe'. Obama is a tall, skinny lawyer.
14. Lincoln preserved the United States as a strong nation, respected by the world. Obama is a tall, skinny lawyer.
15. Lincoln showed his obvious respect for the flag, U. S. Constitution, and the military. Obama is a skinny lawyer.
Parallels of Abraham Lincoln and Barack Hussein Obama:
1. Lincoln placed his hand on the Bible for his inauguration. Obama used the very same Bible Lincoln used, for his inauguration.
2. Lincoln came from Illinois . Obama comes from Illinois .
3. Lincoln served in the Illinois Legislature. Obama served in the Illinois Legislature.
4. Lincoln had very little experience before becoming President. Obama had very little experience before becoming President.
5. Lincoln rode the train from Philadelphia to Washington for his inauguration. Obama rode the train from Philadelphia to Washington for his inauguration.
6. Lincoln was highly respected by some, but intensely disliked by others. Obama is highly respected by some, but intensely disliked by others.
7. Abraham Lincoln was a tall, skinny lawyer. Barack Obama is a tall, skinny lawyer.
8. Lincoln held to basic Conservative and Christian views. Obama is a tall, skinny lawyer.
9. Lincoln volunteered in the Illinois militia; once as a captain, twice as a private. Obama is a tall, skinny lawyer.
10. Lincoln firmly believed in able persons carrying their own weight. Obama is a tall, skinny lawyer.
11. Lincoln's administration had to borrow a lot of money to abolish slavery and save our nation, via the Civil War. Obama is a tall, skinny lawyer.
12. Lincoln was undeniably, and without any doubt, born in the United States . Obama is a tall, skinny lawyer.
13. Lincoln was honest - so honest that he was called 'Honest Abe'. Obama is a tall, skinny lawyer.
14. Lincoln preserved the United States as a strong nation, respected by the world. Obama is a tall, skinny lawyer.
15. Lincoln showed his obvious respect for the flag, U. S. Constitution, and the military. Obama is a skinny lawyer.
Friday, February 01, 2013
The Jobs Report: Not Really That Good
Ticker goes beyond the headline numbers. He uses the household-numbers report, unadjusted, and voila!
Notice that both monthly and annualized are now headed southbound. While annualized is still positive, it's going the wrong way -- and the monthly numbers are horrible.
How horrible? Employed dropped by 1.446 million people!
Now to be fair this is usual for January to some degree. But make no mistake folks -- the layoffs this January were double that of last year, when January was -737,000. The idea that this report is "strong" is just plain crap
Not to worry. AP will spin this.
Notice that both monthly and annualized are now headed southbound. While annualized is still positive, it's going the wrong way -- and the monthly numbers are horrible.
How horrible? Employed dropped by 1.446 million people!
Now to be fair this is usual for January to some degree. But make no mistake folks -- the layoffs this January were double that of last year, when January was -737,000. The idea that this report is "strong" is just plain crap
Not to worry. AP will spin this.
The Disintegration of "Climate Change" Proofs
I'd say this is telling.
...the IPCC’s sensitivity estimate cannot readily be reconciled with forcing estimates and observational data. All the recent literature that approaches the question from this angle comes up with similar answers, including the papers I mentioned above. By failing to meet this problem head-on, the IPCC authors now find themselves in a bit of a pickle. I expect them to brazen it out, on the grounds that they are the experts and are quite capable of squaring the circle before breakfast if need be. But in doing so, they risk being seen as not so much summarising scientific progress, but obstructing it. --WUWT quoting Annan's blog
"Scientific progress" has nothing--zero--zip--nada--to do with it.
Follow the MONEY, stupid.
...the IPCC’s sensitivity estimate cannot readily be reconciled with forcing estimates and observational data. All the recent literature that approaches the question from this angle comes up with similar answers, including the papers I mentioned above. By failing to meet this problem head-on, the IPCC authors now find themselves in a bit of a pickle. I expect them to brazen it out, on the grounds that they are the experts and are quite capable of squaring the circle before breakfast if need be. But in doing so, they risk being seen as not so much summarising scientific progress, but obstructing it. --WUWT quoting Annan's blog
"Scientific progress" has nothing--zero--zip--nada--to do with it.
Follow the MONEY, stupid.
The EPA Has Gone Mad-Hatter
This is beyond parody.
Just one week after a federal court rebuked the Environmental Protection Agency for mandating biofuel standards based on “wishful thinking,” the EPA responded by raising those standards to even more unattainable levels.
...This projection ignores last week’s ruling from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, which struck down a rule requiring gasoline blenders to use 8.65 million gallons of the cellulosic biofuel because the mandate “was based on wishful thinking rather than realistic estimates of what could be achieved,”
Doubling down on rooster eggs.
Just one week after a federal court rebuked the Environmental Protection Agency for mandating biofuel standards based on “wishful thinking,” the EPA responded by raising those standards to even more unattainable levels.
...This projection ignores last week’s ruling from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, which struck down a rule requiring gasoline blenders to use 8.65 million gallons of the cellulosic biofuel because the mandate “was based on wishful thinking rather than realistic estimates of what could be achieved,”
Doubling down on rooster eggs.
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